Celebrity Douchebags Volume 1: Russell Crowe

I decided it might be fun to start a small Celeb Douchebags series. These little articles will discuss some of the most difficult people to work with in the history of the Entertainment Industry. Some are obvious. Others might come as a bit of a surprise. I have dug deep and read over credible reports. This is what I have found.

By now we all know Russell Crowe is a prick, but why? What exactly has he done except yell at a few reporters & tossed a telephone at a desk clerk? He can’t be that bad right? Well, he is! In fact, it’s a little hilarious just how big of an asshole he really is.

Lets start with his antics on the set of the movie Gladiator. In the book “The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks” by Nicole LaPorte, she gives some insight on what working with Russell Crowe is actually like. First he calls the producer at 3am screaming and telling him “you motherfucker. I will kill you with my bare hands.” This was all because he believed DreamWorks was low balling his assistants. I can let this slide. At least he is fighting for the little guy right? He would also insist on script changes during readings and walked out several times. Director Ridley Scott would need to calm him down. That’s diva-ish but I wouldn’t say it launches him into the stratosphere of “super Douchebag” What really makes him special is….Remember in Gladiator where he takes off his helmet to reveal his identity and gives that classic “And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next” speech? It turns out, Crowe thought it was shit and didn’t want to say it. Director Ridley Scott then shot the scene the way Crowe wanted it but Crowe didn’t even like his own revision. They then went back to the original. Everyone loved it. Crowe still hated it “it was shit” Crowe repeated, “but I’m the greatest actor in the world and I can make even shit sound good”

Russell Crowe has also lashed out at other celebrates. According to actress Rebel Wilson, Crowe once told her to “fuck off” when she simply just tried to say hello. However, The most notable is when he made comments calling Robert De Niro, George Clooney and Harrison Ford sellouts for appearing in some commercials. Clooney’s response was gold & made a great point “He’s probably right. And I’m glad he told us, ’cause Bob and Harrison and I were also thinking about starting a band, which would also fall under the heading of bad use of celebrity.” Crowe didn’t appreciate the shot at his band and responded with “Who the fuck does this guy think he is? He’s a Frank Sinatra wannabe!” Clooney then sent Crowe a note saying ‘”Dude, the only people who succeed when two famous people are fighting is People magazine. What the [expletive] is wrong with you?'” Crowe then apologized and sent George a book of his poems and some of his music.

The only reason why producers and directors have put up with his antics is because he is a good actor. As a human being, he is certainly worthy of being on the douchebag list.

Douchebag Meter: 8/10

On deck for Volume 2: Someone who might come as a surprise and makes Russell Crowe look like an angel.